Running a business for man’s best friend

Customers of the the Sit and Stay Cafe at Point Isabel. Photo courtesy of Jobetty.

Dogs of all sizes and breeds run unleashed, fetch balls, meet other dogs, swim and enjoy Point Isabel Park in Richmond. Afterwards, dogs and their owners can stop by the only businesses at Point Isabel: Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub, where the dogs can get baths, and the Sit and Stay Cafe, where their people can get coffee and food.

“You came here, you take your dog for a walk, it gets all dirty, then you wash your dog and then you go home. It’s a great location,” said Diane Blake who has been coming for a couple years to Point Isabel to walk her dog, Zoe.

These two businesses, run by the same owners, are located one next to another in a small, one level rectangular building. The cafe is a walk-up counter with seating at a nearby patio. Mudpuppy’s is a pet store that has lots of dog toys, treats and supplies as well as bathtubs where the dogs get washed.